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Adolescence: The Self and Identity. The Development of Self. Self-Understanding . The Adolescent’s cognitive representation of the self, the substance and content of the adolescent’s self-conceptions. Portfolio of Experiences Abstract Thinkers Introspection Improved Problem-Solving Skills - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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Adolescence: The Self and Identity

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The Development of Self

Self-Understanding. The Adolescent’s cognitive representation of the self, the substance and content of the adolescent’s self-conceptions.

Portfolio of Experiences

Abstract Thinkers

Introspection

Improved Problem-Solving Skills

Family & Peer Support/Experimentation

Ideal-Self vs. Actual-Self.

Disparity between ideal and actual self can produce confusion and maladaptation.

Or

It can be a source of motivation and aspiration for adolescents who are searching for identity.

Harter’s Notion of Identity

Susan Harter identifies the process of identity development as "the search for self" in which she defines it as a major drama that unfolds on center stage during adolescence, with a complicated cast of characters who do not always speak with a single voice.“

-Susan Harter goes on to say that adolescence represents a fascinating transitional period, marked by the emergence of newfound cognitive capacities and changing societal expectations that, in consort, profoundly shape and alter the very nature of the self-concept. Teenagers who successfully navigate the journey of self-development should acquire a clear and consolidated sense of true self that is realistic and internalized, one that will lay the basis for further identity development. Failure to chart the waters successfully may result in a number of potential psychological risks:

1. Distorted or unrealistic self-concept

2. Failure to integrate the self across multiple roles

3. Maladaptive or distressing displays of false selves

4. A definition of self that rely primarily on the opinions of others

Self-Integration

Adolescents begin to integrate all of their experience and their understanding of themselves into a more unified sense of identity.

According to James Marcia (1996), changes in the self during adolescence consists of a transition from the following:

Early (deconstruction)

Middle (reconstruction)

Late (consolidation)

Self-Esteem and Self-Concept

Self-Esteem. The global evaluative dimension of the self. An individual’s evaluation of self-worth or self-image.

Internalization/Commitment. Individuals experience a sense of fulfillment that arises from the integration of their personal ands cultural identities. Commitment is to multiculturalism and the elimination of discrimination.

Gender and Identity Development

In relation to identity development.

Males focus on career and ideological commitments.

Females focus on marriage and childbearing.

Some researchers suggest that males and females enter Erikson’s stages in a different order.

Jacob Orlofsky (1976): Types of Intimate Interaction

Intimate. The individual forms and maintains one or more deep and long-lasting love relationships.

Preintimate. The individual shows mixed emotions about commitment, an ambivalence reflected in the strategy of offering love without obligations.

Stereotyped. The individual has superficial relationships that tend to be dominated by friendship ties with same-sex rather than opposite-sex individuals.

Pseudointimate. The individual maintains a long-lasting sexual attachment with little or no depth or closeness.

Isolated. The individual withdraws from social encounters and has little or no attachment to same- or opposite-sex individuals.

Katherine White (1987): Model of Relationship Maturity

Self-Focused Level. The first level of relationship maturity, at which one’s perspective of another or of a relationship is concerned only with how it affects oneself.

Role-Focused Level. The second or intermediate level of relationship maturity, at which perceiving others as individuals in their own right begins to develop. However, at this level the perspective is stereotypical and emphasizes social acceptability.

Individuated-Connected Level. The highest level of relationship maturity, at which there is evidence of an understanding of oneself, as well as consideration of others’ motivations and anticipation of their needs. Concern and caring involve emotional support and individualized expression of interest.

Loneliness

Loneliness tends to be quite high in late adolescence and has been found to be linked with the following:

Gender Differences. Studies have found loneliness to be associated with depression in girls while linked to scholastic performance in boys.

Attachment History. Lonely adolescents tend to come from a background linked to few interactions with others (parents, peers).

Self-Esteem.

Social Skills.

Going off to college denotes a time when some adolescences experience a great sense of loneliness. One study found the occurrence of loneliness in 75% of the sample of freshman college students.

Robert Weiss (1973): Identified Two Types of Loneliness

Emotional Isolation. A type of loneliness that arises when a person lacks an intimate attachment relationship.

Single, divorced, and widowed adults often experience this type of loneliness.

Social Isolation. A type of loneliness that occurs when a person lacks a sense of integrated involvement.

Being deprived of participation in a group or community involving companionship, shared interests, organized activities, and meaningful roles causes a person to feel alienated, bored, and uneasy.